This picture demonstrates how Japan would potentially shoot down the North Korean satellite and rocket upon which it is mounted should Japan deem it a threat during its launch scheduled for sometime between April 12 and 16.

The picture displays the threat occurring between the launch from North Korea and the next two stages, where the two parts of the rocket detach from the satellite and fall. The first stage is shown falling into the East China Sea and the second into the Pacific Ocean, closer to the Philippines. These two stages are illustrated by the narrower two of the three red arcs.

Japan’s counterattack is shown along the blue line. The first move would come from the Aegis SM3 missiles launched from destroyers deployed in the sea. The higher orange ball represents a hit from the Aegis. However, if a problem arises and the rocket is not completely annihilated, PAC3 missiles–depicted here on the island of Okinawa –would then detect and shoot down the rocket once it reached a lower altitude. That’s the lower orange ball, and the blue line goes from solid to dotted, apparently representing the debris left over from the successful hit.

The picture also depicts the third stage of the launch, illustrated by the highest red line, which would be the satellite entering orbit.

The simplified depiction doesn’t include all possible anti-missile scenarios. To prepare for the possibility — apparently remote — that the rocket veers toward the Japanese main island of Honshu, the Japanese government says it is also is deploying PAC3s in Tokyo, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures.

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Japan Real Time is a newsy, concise guide to what works, what doesn’t and why in the one-time poster child for Asian development, as it struggles to keep pace with faster-growing neighbors while competing with Europe for Michelin-rated restaurants. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, the site provides an inside track on business, politics and lifestyle in Japan as it comes to terms with being overtaken by China as the world’s second-biggest economy. You can contact the editors at japanrealtime@wsj.com